Window canopy



Aug. 21, 1951 H. B. TURNER ETAL WINDOW CANOPY Filed June 2l, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Haro/d B. Turner Eva M. Turner IN V EN TORS BY WWW 5%5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAIIIl/rlll .lffnnaff Aug. 2l, 1951 H. B. TURNER ETAL WINDOW CANOF'Y S R A m e e WE w Tw S 0 e. f 0 2 0 W HT M 0 V E Filed June 2l, 1950 Patented ug. 21, 1951 WINDOW CANOPY Harold B. Turner and Eva M. Turner, Cambridge, Ohio Application June 21, 1950, Serial No. 169,414

7 Claims. (Cl. 1641-19) This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a window canopy and more specifically pertains to a valance for enclosing and supporting curtain or drapery rods and an illuminating or indirect lighting arrangement.

The primary objects of this invention are to provide a combined valance and fixture for housing, concealing and supporting indirect lighting fixtures together with a support for drapes or curtains.

Further important objects of the invention are to provide a valance for oodlighting drapes or curtains an for providing indirect lighting for a room; to provide a decorative fixture; to provide a means for protecting drapes or curtains from soiling; to provide a concealed support for drapery or curtain rods; to provide an attachment which will eliminate the fastening of hardware to woodwork for supporting lights or drapes; and to provide an easy method and appliance permitting the removal o curtains, drapes and lighting fixtures to facilitate cleaning and decorating.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved window canopy or valance which shall have an advantageous construction specifically adapted for utilizing inexpensive and light weight material such as sheet metal, plywood, suitable plastics and the like and wherein a valance may be readily adapted to fit a given window or other environment in which the same is to be used.

A stiil further object of the invention is to provide an improved valance or window canopy having a novel and improved means for supporting a iiuorescent tube for both indirect and oodlghting and in a manner wherein the tube will be concealed from the interior of the room.

And a iinal important object of the invention to be specifically enumerated herein, is to provide an improved window valance or canopy which is adapted to be formed from sheet metal members together with a novel and improved means for attaching these members together with a d-ecorative eiiect.

rlhese, together with various ancillary features and objects of the invention, which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective View illustrating a suitable construction of valance incorporating therein the principles of this invention and depicting the manner of use of the same;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the arrangement of Figure i, parts being broken away to show the fastening construction of the walls of the members;

Figure 3 is a front elevational View of the arrangement of Figure l Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View through the construction of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5 5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 'ri-5 of Figure 3; and

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional detail View, taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line -'i of Figure 3. Y

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parte throughout the various views, it will be seen by reference to Figure l that the invention consists of an improved window canopy or valance which is adapted to be mounted upon the wall of a room or any other desired location as for example above a window indicated generally by the numeral I0 to provide a means for supporting curtains or drapes as shown at l2 and to provide indirect lighting for the room as suggested by the lines i4 which are indicative of upwardly directed light rays from the illuminating element of the invention.

Referring now more specifically to Figures 2-7, it will be seen that the improved valance incorporating the principles of this invention is depioted as being formed chiey of lightweight and inexpensive elements such as sheet metal members, the Valance including a front wall i4 which is joined to a pair of side walls i6 and I8 in a detachable manner by vertically extending fastening strips 2i] which not only join the parts together in a detachable manner as set forth hereinafter, but also produce a decorative effect upon the exterior surface of the valance,

In order to further ornament or embellish and also to reinforce and impart rigidity to the upper and lower edges of the front and side walls of the valance, a reinforcing bead or channel member 2| is provided, whose construction is more clearly indicated in Figures 5 and 6. Preferably this reinforcing bead is crimped or compressively or resiliently clasped upon the upper and lower edges of the wall members.

Referring now more specifically to Figures 3 and 7, it will be seen that the fasteners 20 consist of channel strips having flat plates 22 on ci .a their rear portions Iwhich are connected as by vertical ribs or webs 24 to a convexly headed portion 26 forming the front surface of the fastener. As shown in the detailed view of Figure 7, the adjacent ends of the front and side walls of the valance are received within the chambers defined by the elements 22, 24 and 26 of the fasteners, and suitable attaching means such as wood screws or the like 28 extend through the plates 22 into the rear or inward surfaces of walls.

It will now be apparent that standard end walls I6 may be provided and a single relatively long front wall I4 may be stocked, so that by merely cutting off the desired or necessary length of front wall, a valance may be made up of any desired size to fit any particular window or environment. It is evident that the fasteners 20 will serve to detachably but securely unite the standard size end wall I6 to the tailored or individual front walls I4.

The above described casing of the valance is open at its upper and lower ends, but is provided With a removable roof panel, the same being preferably of a sectional form and including end sections 30 which are welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the end Walls I6 and preferably extend beyond the inner vertical edges of the same as shown in Figure 2, to thus provide an opening between the adjacent edges of the end panel sections. A removable central section 32 is adapted to overlie the adjacent ends of the end sections and rest upon and be supported by the same, the central section being intended to merely rest upon the end sections Si) and overlie the opening formed therebetween, or to be attached thereto in any desired manner.

This central section is provided, preferably adjacent its forward edge, with a longitudinal extending slot 34, and is provided with suitable brackets 36 which depend from the end edges of this slot and serve to support suitable lamp sockets 38 by means of which a light tube 40 which may conveniently comprise a fluorescent tube is mounted. Suitable electrical connections yto the tubes are utilized, but since the same may be of any conventional design it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate the same. However, the tube is preferably mounted within the slot in such a manner that, as shown in Figure 4, approximately half of the tube lwill extend above the slot and the other half below the same. As will be readily apparent from Figure 4, the top panel is disposed below the upper edges of the front and side walls so that the tubes 40 will be recessed or depressed below the same thereby concealing the lighting tube from the interior of the room, while permitting the rays of the tube to travel upwardly as shown at I4 in Figure 1 for indirect illumination of the ceiling or room, and permitting a iioodlighting effect of the drapes I2 mounted within the casing of the valance.

The end sections 30 of the top panel are provided with depending brackets 42, detachably se- -rcured to the under surfaces of the end sections as by fastening screws or the like 44, and these brackets serve to support the telescoping sections 46 and 48 of any conventional form of curtain or drapery rod.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that there has been provided a canopy or valance which entirely houses a curtain or drapery rod, supports in concealed relation a fluorescent tube in proper position to floodlight the draperies or provide indirect concealed lighting for the ceiling of a room. The central panel 32 carrying the illuminating tube may obviously be separately removed when it is necessaryfto service these elements. The entire device may be removed as desired with a minimum of labor and the various sections of the device may be readily disassembled as found necessary.

The invention hereinbefore described is particularly useful as a decorative item for bedrooms, since it may be hung or mounted at the head of the bed, upon the wall, and provided with drapes, the light functioning as a bed light.

It will be particularly noted that the side walls I6, I8 are curved or coved to form rounded corners, greatly enhancing the graceful and pleasing appearance of the device as well as contributing to its rigidity.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention together with its many advantages will be readily apparent and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus disclosed and described the invention ywhat is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A window valance comprising a casing having vertical side and front Iwalls and an open bottom, fasteners joining said walls together, a horizontal roof panel within said casing secured to said walls, said roof panel having a slot therein, a light tube mounted in said slot.

2. A windowvalance comprising a casing having vertical side and front walls and an open bottom, fasteners joining said walls together, a horizontal roof panel within said casing secured to said walls, said roof panel having a slot therein, a light tube mounted in said slot, said fastenings comprising vertically disposed strips having front and rear members embracing the adjacent portions of said front wall and said side walls, said rear member being secured tothe inner surfaces of said Walls.

3. A window valance comprising a casing having vertical side and front walls and an open bottom, fasteners joining said walls together, a horizontal roof panel within said casing secured to said walls, said roof panel having a slot therein. a light tube mounted in said slot, said roof panel having depending brackets for receiving a curtain rod.

4. A window valance comprising a casing having vertical side and front walls and an open bottom, fasteners joining said Walls together, a horizontal roof panel within said casing secured to said walls, said roof panel having a slot therein, a light tube mounted in said slot, said roof panel being positioned below the top edge of said front and end walls.

5. A window valance comprising a casing having vertical side and front walls and an open bottom, fasteners joining said walls together, a horizontal roof panel within said casing secured to said walls, said roof panel having a slot therein, a light tube mounted in said slot, said roof panel having light sockets depending therefrom and receiving said light tube.

6. A window valance comprising a casing having vertical side and front walls and an open bottom, fasteners joining said walls together, a horizontal roof panel Within said casing secured to said Walls, said roof panel having a slot therein, a light tube mounted in said slot, said roof panel having a pair of end sections and a central section supported by said end sections.

7. A Window valance comprising a casing having vertical side and front Walls and an open bottom, fasteners joining said Walls together, a horizontal roof panel within said casing secured to said Walls, said roof panel having a slot therein, a light tube mounted in said slot, said roof panel having a pair of end sections and a central section supported by said end sections, said slot being disposed in said central section.

HAROLD B. TURNER. EVA M. TURNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,652,365 Kretschmer Dec. 13, 192,7 1,658,815 Oskamp Feb. 14, 1928 2,375,247 Rebholz May 8, 1945 10 2,478,699 Lange Aug. 9, 1949 

